I Hate Junkyards
by The Wolf Who Walks Alone
Summary: Well, this is the chapter 'We visit the Junkyard of the gods' From the Titans Curse in my version.This summary stinks but R&R please! This is the revised edition.
1. Chapter 1

**HEY! I haven't written a Percabeth fic in a long time, so here is a multi-chapter. Sorry if you don't like it, but hey, don't like, don't read. Try not to flame me for retarded things like spelling, grammar, and the fact that you don't like my plot. If you have a problem, keep it to yourself and just read the fic already. Bear with me the first page or so. It gets better.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places mentioned in the fic. So R&R.**

"Crazy idea time." said Percy. He looked warily at the huge metal monster that was about to kill him and his friends. He couldn't die, he just had to save Annabeth.

"Anything" Bianca nervously agreed. Percy quickly explained about the maintenance hatch at the bottom of Talos's enormous foot.

"There may be a way to control the thing. Switches or something. I'm going to get inside." said Percy. To the untrained eye, he looked confident, but the skeptical look in his eyes and his tense muscles said otherwise.

"How? You'll have to stand under it's foot! You'll be crushed." said Bianca flatly. She just met Percy not too long ago and he was a decent guy. He was one of her first real friends. She would _not_ let him get killed like this.

"Distract it. I'll just have to time it right." Percy said. Bianca's jaw tightened. He was stubborn, but she was even more so. Having a little brother did that to a girl.

"No. I'll go." Bianca said with bravery that surprised even her.

"You can't. You're new at this! You'll die!" stated Percy. His attempts to dissuade her didn't work.

"It's my fault this thing came after us. It's my responsibility. Here." Bianca said as she handed Percy the little god statue. That little metal figure that probably cost less than a few bucks may cost the whole group their lives. The irony of it fit right in to Percy's lists of things in his life that could have gone right but didn't thanks to his bad luck.

"If anything happens, give that to Nico. Tell him… tell him I'm sorry." Bianca said. Her brown eyes looked sad as she spoke her last words to him.

"Bianca, no!" shouted Percy, but Bianca charged off toward the monster. Percy couldn't let Bianca leave Nico alone in the world, an orphan. He knew too many half-bloods that were alone and he didn't want to see Nico be one of them. Yes, he was annoying, but he didn't deserve to lose his only caring relative like that. He promised Nico that he would protect Bianca the best that he could, and he wasn't taking it so lightly.

_Besides, I'll survive. I'm used to this kind of stuff._ Percy thought in an attempt to reassure himself. It was unnecessary, because he was most definitely sure that he was doing the right thing.

Percy threw Riptide in front of Bianca, and she tripped like he hoped. Percy sped up to the enormous foot and leaped into the maintenance hatch.

Bianca glared at Percy as he disappeared from her sight.

Inside of the rusty robot, it was dimly lit by flickering light bulbs, but Percy could make out a large control panel. Lights flashed a number of different colors and switches gleamed despite the bad lighting. Some parts of the walls and floor and even a few knobs and levers seemed to be rusted away, and Percy sure hoped that the rusted-out levers weren't important. He then noticed a large joystick like the one from those Pac-Man games that Dionysus loved so much. Percy toggled the joystick and the monster stopped.

_Well, that was easy._ Percy thought, slightly relieved.

He could hear the rusty gears creak as the huge metal monster turned his head. It sounded like someone was plucking a live harpy when the metal monstrosity moved it's joints. Percy started flipping the joystick like a maniac trying to get the useless pile of scrap metal to do something. He felt the metal creature vibrate as it punched itself. His legs wobbled unsteadily as the metal beneath him shook.

"Go Percy!" Bianca yelled from outside. He did it! He was doing it! She would definitely apologize to everyone after this mess. It seemed like she caused more trouble than she was worth, but she was so, so glad that Percy had followed them. She totally owed him now. Were Huntresses of Artemis allowed to hug boys that saved their lives?

"Percy is inside? Zoë asked disbelievingly. She stared at the statue in a mixture of horror and begrudging awe. A flicker of respect leaked into her voice, but it was too faint to be of any significance.

"How will he get out?" yelled Thalia. The enormous figure shuddered then staggered as it ran… right into the power lines.

"Percy, watch out!" yelled Bianca. It was a little late for her outburst, but she couldn't help herself. It was better than shrieking. Zoё and Thalia would probably think of her as weak if she did.

Percy couldn't see where he was going inside the robot, which was probably one of the reasons that it ended up in the junkyard in the first place. The metallic giant snagged on the thin power wires and electricity danced along the monster's body in bluish-white arcs. Percy was burned in the process and fell on the panel of switches. His fingers were blackened by the force of the shock. He looked a bit charred all over. Some of his black hair was still smoking. He certainly felyt like Zeus had blasted him with a whole arsenal of lightning bolts.

Soon, the metal monster fell to pieces until there was just a pile of scrap metal. A huge cloud of red dust puffed up and concealed the chunks of what used to be Talos, the defective model.

"Perrrrcy!" bleated Grover as he ran around the pile of destroyed robot pieces. His face was a heart wrenching mixture between terror and worry. His hooves clopped on the metal as he leaped like a mountain goat from one large piece from the other. It was hard to see with all the dust in the air, but it wouldn't stop him from finding his best friend.

"Percy! Where are you!" screamed Thalia as she threw pieces of metal in a frantic search for her friend. She heaved a huge sheet of steel in the opposite direction, but was cut on the palm by one of its jagged edges. Red blood gushed from her split palm. She growled and furiously ripped a shed off of her Green Day t-shirt and wrapped it tightly around her bleeding palm. Her anger caused clouds to rush into the once clear sky.

"Show yourself, you foolish boy!" yelled Zoë. "This is no time for games!"

"Shut up you conceited little _brat_! Percy is not a fool for saving Bianca's life and…" ranted Thalia as the clouds grew dark and stormy to match Thalia's anger. Thunder rumbled and the air crackled with electricity. The wind picked up and even more dust swirled around them. Thalia reached instinctively into her pocket where her spear was hidden; in its travel-size version as a mace canister.

Bianca got a strange buzzing in her ears that somehow told her that Percy was slipping from one world, to another. She was perplexed on the reasons why she knew this, but she was somehow sure that it was true.

"Stop it!" yelled Grover. The two girls stopped bickering and looked in shock at the normally calm satyr.

"I've found Percy and he's badly hurt. He needs help! Now, would be great!" shouted Grover as he led the trio to see Percy. They ran towards a large clump of particularly large clumps of metal. Nearby was the large foot of Talos that had intrigued the group in the first place.

Percy's legs were pinned under a hopelessly heavy hunk of metal. A large gash sliced into Percy's forehead and lastly, a long, sharp metal shard had pierced Percy through his stomach. Percy was gasping to breathe. Tears ran down Grover's cheeks and the usual playful and fierce fire in Percy's eyes was fading. He looked more tired than anything.

Bianca covered her mouth and let tears spill freely down her cheeks. Thalia wiped tears away from her intense blue eyes. She didn't want Percy to see that he was in terminal condition. There were no doctors, no hospitals, no medics, not even a decent first-aid kit out here. If any god wanted to help, Thalia prayed to anyone that would listen to help Percy get better.

"I'm sorry if you wanted a turn to pla with the big metal thing. I kind of broke it." said Percy who had managed a smile despite the gruesome pain that he was enduring. Thalia, Bianca and Grover tried to smile, but Percy's shallow breathing was enough to send them to tears again. They tried to be happy-ish, for Percy's sake.

"Grover, thanks for being there for me, man. You'll definitely be the searcher to find Pan, I'm sure of it." croaked Percy as his eyes made contact with the satyr. Grover wanted to protest that Percy wasn't going to die, that he was going to remember a nature spell that would heal those cuts and bruises right up. But Grover knew no song like that, and with no life at all in the desert, it would be difficult, if not impossible to conjure anything by nature magic.

He then looked at Bianca. Her pretty brown eyes were watery as she looked at the boy who had taken her place. It should have been her who was lying in a junkyard, impaled by metal and dying. This whole stupid situation was _her_ fault. The only one who deserved that fate was her.

"You're new at this, but be careful. Be sure never to forget Nico." whispered Percy. It was becoming too much of a strain for him to talk in a regular tone of voice. It was urgent that he told them this. There were too many things that went unsaid among them, and he wanted to make sure that he got the important stuff out. He then looked at Thalia.

"I'm sorry we got into so many fights, but hey. We're kids of the Big Three. What'cha gonna do? I'm sorry about that capture the flag thing." Percy said. Thalia could only nod as she wiped more runaway tears away.

"And Zoë, take care of Bianca. Don't let her steal any more toys for Nico." whispered Percy. He slowly lifted up his clenched hand, his arm shaking like a brittle leaf in a gale. Zoë just looked at Percy with a little remorse.

"Thalia?" said Percy in a barely-there whisper. His green eyes, which normally looked so electrifying were now reduced to a spark.

"Yes, Percy?" Thalia said quietly. The group of girls and Grover knelt around Percy. Their eyes gave him all their attention, and shone with terrible sadness that no one of their age should ever have to feel.

"Tell Annabeth one thing for me. Tell her that I'm sorry and… I wished that I could tell her this myself, but… I love her…I love her a lot." panted Percy. Perspiration glistened on his face so that his black hair stuck to his forehead. Percy let out one last shallow, quiet breath. His eyes fluttered closed, and the last sight that he saw was his best friends. He only wished that he could see Annabeth one last time.

"No!" screamed Thalia as she stabbed Talos's deformed head with her spear out of pure grief. She imagined that Percy could have cracked a joke about that being overkill. The thought of him caused her to sob unabashedly.

Bianca cried on Zoë's shoulder and Grover burst into tears. Zoë stood up, stoically. She looked almost pained as she looked at Percy's body. He had saved them all, even though he could have easily let Bianca be the one to destroy the monster. He was nothing like Hercules at all. She was wrong about him.

"It.. should've…been…me!" Bianca sobbed. Zoë patted Bianca comfortingly on the shoulder. Before anyone could classify this action as strange or abnormal, the zombie skeletons that had been pursuing them since Washington D.C. appeared in a cloud of dust.

"Go away! Go back to where you came from!" shrieked Bianca. The skeletons immediately fell into a crack in the ground and were swallowed up by the earth with a large _crunch_.

"Bianca, how did you…?" stuttered Grover. Only a god could do something like that; or a creature from the Underworld. Bianca couldn't be a child of the Underworld, could she?

"You're a… You're a…" stammered Thalia. Thalia slowly walked towards Bianca, her knuckles a bright white from clenching her spear.

"A daughter of Hades." finished Zoë. Zoë took a small step back from Bianca.

This event had made four things very clear. One, Bianca was a daughter of Hades. Two, Percy or Thalia might not be the prophecy child. Three, Percy loved Annabeth, which was probably obvious to everyone except for Annabeth. And lastly, Perseus Jackson, son of the Sea god, was dead.

**It does not end here, so just chill out! I promise to update by either today or tomorrow! Try not to flame me too bad. But review PLEASE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Thank you guys for reviewing! Here is the next chapter and please, R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson…. Ya ya… just move on.**

Being the daughter of Zeus, Thalia easily created a mist which produced an almost flawless rainbow. Most of the time, she created storms unintentionally when she was upset or angry. She found it a bit harder to control her powers to do small things like creating a fine mist and clearing the overcast sky that she had caused when she was grieving.

Thalia raised her hands an closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths and thought about summoning mist. Not about Percy. Oh poor Percy.

"Show me Iris, goddess of the rainbow." said Grover as he tossed the drachma into the mist. It shimmered and disappeared.

"This is new. Rarely does someone request to see me." said a beautiful blonde woman with multi-colored eyes who appeared in the mist. Her gown was gossamer and white. She stared at her summoners with mild curiosity.

"Lady Iris, could you please send something to Camp Half-Blood? It would mean so much to us, mam." said Grover. His voice cracked and he tried to refrain from sobbing in front of the goddess. Thalia only nodded because she was concentrating on keeping the mist from disappearing in the dry desert air. Zoё and Bianca just stood in the background, their silver Huntress outfits gleaming in the light.

"Sorry, I don't do packages. Try Hermes!" said Iris in a slightly insulted voice as she raised her hand to cut the connection.

"Please mam, he was my… err…our best friend. Please take his body to camp. I'll even pay you five drachmas!" pleaded Bianca. Grover and Thalia glanced at Bianca. They didn't expect her to speak.

Iris stared into Bianca's eyes. It was almost like Bianca was being examined like a painting, checking to see if it was genuine or a fake. Iris nodded slightly.

"So be it. I presume you want me to magically preserve the body so you can be at his funeral?" said Iris, in an unreadable tone.

"If you would, that would be amazing!" Grover said solemnly.

"Just remember to throw in those five drachmas, satyr!" said Iris as she waved her hand through the connection. A pleasant voice said through the mist, "Please deposit five drachmas."

Grover, Thalia, and Bianca salvaged five drachmas and tossed them in the mist. Percy's body shimmered, and disappeared with a flash of many colors. They had just IM'ed a dead friend back to his home. Boy, was Chiron in for a surprise.

**I'll post the next chapter later today if I get two reviews! Sorry that it's short! It's a lot longer on paper!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! You might be mad at me, but I'm gonna skip to the very end of the chapter 'A Friend Says Goodbye' because I totally do not want to type out the rest of the book! This is the next important part anyhow. Thank You for reviewing me!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson… R&R!**

After the death of Zoë the Huntress, and Annabeth's dad had already left, Annabeth finally has time to ask the question that had been silently troubling her since her rescue party had arrived. They were in the back of Artemis' chariot and they rushed through the night sky to the sound of jingling bells on the harnesses of Artemis' magic silver deer.

"Didn't Percy come on the quest to save m… um… Artemis or did the Huntresses make him stay behind?" Annabeth asked quietly, not really wanting the goddess to hear the conversation. If Artemis did hear Annabeth, she did not acknowledge it and remained focused on steering her sleigh.

Bianca thanked her stars that it was already dark, otherwise the tears that slipped at that moment would have betrayed her mourning.

"Percy wasn't admitted on the quest; Zoë wouldn't allow it." said Thalia softly. Thalia forced herself to look at Annabeth's face and not stare off into the distance when she broke the news of Percy's death to Annabeth.

"Oh." said Annabeth with disappointment evident in her voice. Annabeth looked at her battered sneakers in a failed attempt to hide her discontent. Bianca saw Annabeth twirling the gray strands in her curly blond hair. Bianca fingered her own silver streaks of hair. They had earned the gray highlights from carrying Atlas's burden of the sky.

"But he had to be a stubborn little," Thalia started, mustering up a little anger to mask the torment in her voice.

"Friend!" finished Bianca while giving Thalia a glare. Bianca was tearing up again. She hoped that Percy wouldn't mind that they were crying so much over him.

"So he stowed away on the quest when a previous quest member couldn't make it." said Thalia returning Bianca's glare.

"But why…" stuttered Annabeth. Annabeth was truly confused and had no idea on why Percy wasn't there. Maybe he had to go back to camp for an emergency?

"In a cursed junkyard of Hephaestus, I took a Mythomagic statuette for Nico. It was the only one he didn't have. Then a huge, metal monster arose from the junk. I was gonna try to shut down the monster from the inside, because it was my fault it attacked." said Bianca while taking a sudden interest in the scenery that was flying past them outside of the sleigh.

"But Percy beat me to it. He… he never made it out." choked Bianca.

"Annabeth, he said that he loved you and wished he could've told you himself!" tried Grover. Annabeth had tears rushing down her cheeks now. She was gasping, but it felt like no air would fill her lungs. She was drowning in the air.

"No… no… he isn't, he can't be gone!" sobbed Annabeth. "He can't, he can't he can't!" Thalia reached over and embraced her friend, gently soothing her as she cried out in anguish. Annabeth miserably sobbed the whole way back to Olympus.

The group appeared before the council of the gods. The explained their whole story, including the part where Percy died. Annabeth was crying so much, that Grover had to take her outside. Athena stared disapprovingly at her heartbroken daughter. She couldn't believe that someone as wise and intelligent and gifted as Annabeth would fall for that flawed son of Poseidon.

Poseidon's eyes were unresponsive and dull and he looked older than usual. He didn't say a word the entire time, but his eyes never once wavered from the speaking demigods.

Bianca and Thalia both requested that Thalia would become the new lieutenant of the Huntresses. Thalia accepted, and then Artemis granted Bianca a few weeks leave to let Chiron help her with her powers at camp. Artemis believed that it would be both beneficial to the Huntresses and Bianca if Bianca got at least a grasp of her powers over the Underworld before she began her life as an eternal maiden of Artemis.

The demigods were told to leave the council and they called a taxi to Camp Half-Blood.

When the remaining quest members returned to camp, the camp appeared to be empty. When Grover saw the smoke, he knew grimly where everyone was. The group of tired and depressed half-bloods trudged to the amphitheater and saw the whole camp encircled around a large blazing fire; one that was too big for a campfire.

Chiron looked at the group sadly and ushered them to the center of the crowd, where they spoke their goodbyes. Thalia did not shed a tear, but her voice wavered as she whispered a goodbye. Grover managed a few words before he started bawling and was led away by a dozen or so sympathetic wood nymphs. Bianca briefly explained how Percy's bravery and courage and selflessness had saved them all and how she would never forget him. She wiped her tears away.

Annabeth was the last to speak.

"Percy was here for me; he always had my back. From the moment I met him, I knew that there was something different about him. We went on quests together and we trained together. He was my best friend and… And I never go to tell him… how much… he was just so…" Annabeth started. She lost her voice and just cried. Chiron said a few words and all the people in the stadium stood solemnly as Percy's body was engulfed by flames. The scent of a fresh ocean breeze swept through the stadium. The sky darkened and rumbled with thunder. Whether Thalia or Zeus was to blame, no one ever knew.

It was the first body under a shroud that Thalia & Bianca had ever seen, and it wasn't something that they wanted to see again.

Of course, the Ares cabin had volunteered to make the Percy's shroud, but Annabeth did instead. It was green silk, with a black winged stallion running on it and tridents skirted around the edges. Everyone thought that it was breathtaking.

Poseidon stood in a somber mood in a corner. It was the first time anyone saw Poseidon in something all black. It was a drastic difference from his normal beachwear. His head was bowed as he watched his only son's body go up in flames. The fire burned blue, which was Percy's favorite color.

Percy's mother was allowed to come to the ceremony; it was one of the rare occasions where a mortal stepped foot on the grounds of Camp Half-Blood. She was wearing a black dress and cried in the front row.

Demigods of all cabins cried openly at the death of Percy Jackson. Even Clarisse didn't look so mean. As the people shuffled towards the exits of the arena, it started to pour rain.

XOXOXO

Over the next few weeks, Bianca and Nico were well trained by Chiron. It had been decades since he had taught children of Hades, but he taught them well all the same. They leaned about past children of Hades, how to summon the dead and have the dead do their bidding. Chiron even taught them the basis of shadow travel. He didn't know everything about the powers of a child of Hades, because they were so mysterious and rarely showed the true extent of their powers to someone who lived to talk about it.

Annabeth had not left her cabin since the day of the funeral. Her cabin mates managed to force some food and water down her throat, but it was an arduous task. Annabeth had to be moved into the Big House and be watched over by Chiron and Argus after a week of her unresponsive behavior.

Thalia was gone with the Huntresses. She had left right after the funeral.

One night after the Nico and Bianca's training session, Annabeth quietly asked Nico a favor. He agreed, but didn't promise any great results.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, again, sorry for the short chapter but I sincerely thank those of you who reviewed.**

**Disclaimer: I Do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians! No one would read them if I did! (I don't own any brand names either)**

It was well after curfew when Annabeth and Nico walked soundlessly into a small grass field completely surrounded by trees. The moon was full and millions of stars glowed. There were far too many stars visible considering that they were so close to New York City so nature magic had to be at use. Annabeth had been waiting for the moon to be at its fullest. Nico had said that either the full moon or the absence of the moon were the best conditions for what they were about to do.

Annabeth held a six pack of diet Coke. She had nicked the sodas from the Big House. Dionysus probably wouldn't be too happy when he found out that his endless supply of Diet Cokes had been pilfered through. Nico held a Ziploc full of dinner leftovers.

Nico put his hands to his sides and closed his eyes. The moonlight got a little darker and the normal night noises got quieter. A slow, cold breeze caused the grass to wave eerily.

He then slowly raised his hands and a skeletal hand rose from the ground. Two skeletons dressed in tattered miners' uniforms grinned at the duo grotesquely.

"Dig me a small hole, uh, please." said Nico, still a little not used to commanding skeletons around. The skeletons saluted and scrambled to dig a hole. They communicated to one another in their dry, bony language. The sound of their dry bones clacking against one another sent chills up Annabeth's spine. She shuddered and crossed her arms in front of her uncomfortably. The woods had never seemed so dark or so empty. The hole was quickly finished and Nico snapped his fingers.

"You are dismissed." he said calmly. The skeletons fell into a pile of dry, yellowed bones. Annabeth dumped the leftovers into the freshly dug hole and poured in the Coke. Nico began chanting in ancient Greek. Annabeth kept hearing about scenes of death and pain. Real happy stuff.

"Show me Percy Jackson, Son of the Sea god." commanded Nico. His eyes gleamed with a maniac, intense fire that looked terrifying and out of place in his young eyes.

Suddenly, in the center of the silver, moonlit field, a bright spirit appeared. It approached slowly, gliding with more grace than any natural thing on earth. It stooped when it reached the hole in the ground and drank the Coke. It also took a bite of the triple cheese and pepperoni pizza that Annabeth had 'collected' after dinner that night.

_It has to be Percy! I got his favorite kind of pizza. Of course, the dead can't taste but still…_ thought Annabeth miserably.

The shiny and bright figure became more distinguished and recognizable, but remained a bit blurry. The spirit was blurry because Nico was already tired summoning it. He didn't have enough strength or real practice for detail.

"Percy?" Annabeth whispered. Her eyes shone with tears and were as silver as the purest moonlight. She stared in awe at the specter standing before her.

"Hey Annabeth. You too Nico." said the spirit. Percy was a mere shadow of what he once was, and it broke Annabeth's already shattered heart to see him again, knowing that he was already gone. But she had to see him. She had to talk to him. She had to tell him goodbye.

"'Sup Percy." said Nico in a strained voice. His energy was depleting by the moment, because the energy required to keep Percy away from the Underworld was staggering.

"Hey." Annabeth managed, too choked up to murmur anything more. She stared forlornly at her best friend and the boy that she had loved from the moment that she saw him collapse on the porch of the Big House the night he defeated the Minotaur.

"Did you guys miss me?" Percy asked in a poor attempt at humor. He smiled crookedly, and his familiar smile was all that it took to push Annabeth over the edge. She tried to compose a sentence, but out of all the words that she knew, she couldn't utter a single one of them. She started sobbing and wrenched her eyes closed in an attempt to keep too many tears from falling.

"Shhh… Annabeth. It's alright. Don't cry. Please." Percy said softly, his own voice cracking. He tried hold her close in an embrace, but was forced away as he neared living skin.

"You're still a seaweed brain. Nothing will be fine if you're not here!" Annabeth sobbed wretchedly.

Bianca, who had followed them, started tearing up from the bushes.

"This… this is all my fault! I… was so stupid!" cried Bianca quietly. Luckily, no one heard her. But then, she realized that she could at least help Nico. She quickly directed Percy's life force to feed energy off of her instead of Nico. Nico passed out on the grass.

Bianca racked her brain in an attempt to remember the ancient Greek verses to recite when resurrecting a dead spirit. She murmured the incantations, slowly and deliberately. She felt her energy slowly being drained, but she would give every ounce of her energy to let Percy give his final goodbyes. She owed it to him.

Suddenly, Percy's figure came into focus. He appeared to wear his orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. He also wore his bead necklace. It only had two beads. He also wore a pair of jeans and a ghostly form of Riptide appeared at his side. Why t wasn't in pen form, Annabeth didn't really understand. His longish black hair swayed in the night breeze over his sea green eyes, which were brighter than ever but also sadder than she had ever seen them, even after he thought that his mother was dead.

"Shhh… It's ok. Alright. I'm here. By the life force of some mystery being." said Percy as he looked into Annabeth's eyes. She looked into his beautiful, amazing green eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I think whatever is powering me to be here is gonna join me soon if they keep it up." said Percy as he leaned toward Annabeth. She leaned over to him. They closed the distance between their lips with a sweet kiss. But his essence started vaporizing at the touch of living skin.

"I love you Annabeth. Thank you, Nico. You too Bianca." said Percy as he faded and disappeared. The mist faded in mere seconds. The crickets resumed their chirping and the moonlight became brighter. The woods ceased to be scary and were merely woods once again.

"Bianca?" muttered Nico in a dazed voice. His brown eyes fluttered shut before he could say anything else.

"No!" yelled Annabeth as she fell to her knees in body wracking sobs. She stumbled to her feet and trudged to the Big House.

Bianca quietly emerged from the bushes and carried Nico's unconscious form to the Big House.

**Soo… was it good? Bad? Awesome? I'd love to know. Please tell me in a review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, I thank those of you who reviewed! You guys are sooo nice! Well anyways, here is the new chapter! Sorry it's short. I now have a timed computer access… GRR!**

**Disclaimer: I dO nOt OwN aNyThInG ! DON'T SUE ME!**

DOA Recording Studios. Not somewhere Percy wanted to return to so soon. He walked through the darkly tinted doors and a rainbow colored light hovered over his palm. He held out his hand and four golden drachmas fell into his hand.

_Who in the heck? Who Iris messaged me drachmas? While I'm dead? Does Iris even do deliveries? _thought Percy as he looked at the coins quizzically.

He walked through the lobby and passed anxious souls of the dead who were waiting in the lobby. The same dull music hummed in the background and the lobby was as full as ever. Clearly, Charon hadn't changed his passage policy in the past year and a half. He finally shuffled to Charon's podium.

"Well godling, back again so soon? Wow, and this time for real!" said Charon making no effort to hide his amusement. "Is it too late to say I told you so?"

"Here is the passage fee or whatever. Can I get in the elevator now?" said Percy making his annoyance known. His green eyes flashed with anger.

"Yup, you're the last one." Charon chuckled while he beheld the coins greedily.

Moments later, the elevator arrived with a pleasant dinging noise. Ghosts fled towards the elevator and Charon barked at them angrily that only paying 'customers' could enter. About half of the restless souls wandered back into the lobby. Percy dejectedly walked into the crammed elevator with purposeful sluggishness. Charon sighed impatiently.

The elevator descended and soon, all of his old clothes faded. He wasn't left butt naked in front of the others, thank the gods. Instead, he wore a black hooded robe much like the one he wore as a kid on Halloween when he was the grim reaper. Charon smiled sarcastically at him as his face lost its flesh and was smiling a gruesome, skeletal smile at Percy.

The elevator jerked to a stop, and Percy realized that he was already standing on a barge over the river Styx. He remembered his last trip over the Styx, only this time, he couldn't hear Grover chattering his teeth in terror, and he wasn't holding Annabeth's hand. He wasn't alive anymore.

He stared off into the filthy waters of the Styx, watching the broken wishes and dreams swirl around in its murky black waters as the barge chugged drearily across the river. Then, Percy saw something floating in the Styx that made his heart stop. There was a picture of Annabeth and him smiling at camp. He remembered that day. It was the day that he and Annabeth won the chariot race after their quest to the Sea on Monsters.

There was a piece of paper attached to the picture so he swiftly grabbed it out of the Styx. It was a letter from Annabeth. It read

_Dear Percy,_

_I miss you a ton already. I cry for you to come back up Half-Blood hill and call me 'Wise Girl'. I long for your hugs and annoying stupid comments that I secretly love. I miss that habit you always had of raking your hand through your hair when you were frustrated or upset. I miss your eyes, your humor, your everything. Riptide is in good hands in case you're wondering. I keep it in my pocket. I know, I never use swords but I will because it reminds me of you. I can't go a moment without thinking about you. I really miss you Seaweed Brain. Just to update you, Thalia is a Huntress along with Bianca and Nico is being tutored to use his powers. Both he and Bianca are children of Hades! Can you believe it? I'm sad to say that Zoë died, but she is honored in the stars. I will try everything to get you back; even if it means joining you._

_I love you,_

_For always and eternity,_

_Annabeth_

Percy was overwhelmed by all of the emotions at once. She had _loved_ him? It had taken him a while to read that letter with his dyslexia, and he was walking on autopilot. He was a pretty long ways into the judgment line at that point. He was completely in shock, so he barely noticed the wait to the judgment pavilion. It could have taken minutes or decades. He hoped that Annabeth was happy. He hoped that if she found someone else, that he would love her as much as he did. He hoped that her kids were as smart and clever as she was.

He passed a whining Ceberus who he could sadly see perfectly clear. Last time, Cerebrus was a hazy blur, but this time, he could count every whisker on each of Cerebrus's three heads. Ceberus whined, as if waitig for Percy to throw a red rubber ball, but Percy told him that he didn't have one because he was really dead.

Ceberus must've understood, because he gave one last sad glance, and then dutifully went back to his job. Percy finally reached judgment. The judges stared at him and read a brief summary of Percy's life, then the good and the bad things that he'd done. Apparently, sneaking cookies from the cookie jar were frowned upon in the Underworld. However, the good greatly outweighed the bad. Hades had strict orders from Poseidon to let Percy into Elysium if that was his wish anyways.

He was heartily accepted into Elysium where he would wait for Annabeth. Percy hoped that maybe, after he saw that Annabeth did get a happy life, with another guy and with kids that weren't his, then he would finally move on to be reborn into another life. He didn't want to ruin her eternity. He just wanted her to be happy, and if that meant that she spent the rest of her life and eternity with another guy, he'd let her, even if it killed him inside to do so. What a pun that was.

_I'm really lame._ thought Percy to himself. _I died without kissing a girl!_

**Soooo… did ya like it? Hate it? Please tell me in a review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I am soooo sorry for not updating sooner! I've had a ton of stuff to do these past couple of days. Anyways, it's here now so R&R please!**

**Disclaimer: Ya… I don't own PJO!!!**

Chiron found Bianca crying in her room in the Big House.

"My dear, why are you crying?" asked Chiron.

"It's… all my fault!" Bianca cried. "Percy… died… because of me!"

"Bianca," Chiron sighed. "We've already discussed this. What brought it up?"

Bianca told him about what had happened the night before. She told him about what had happened between Percy and Annabeth. Even after Bianca was finished speaking, Chiron remained silent.

"It seems that Nico and you have finally got used to your powers. But poor Annabeth… and Percy!" said Chiron as he made a three fingered claw over his heart and pushed outward. The ancient Greek gesture for warding off evil.

"I've already decided not to do something I'll probably regret later." mumbled Chiron as he left the room.

"Wait, what'll you regret? Chiron!" said Bianca momentarily forgetting to cry.

"Good night, Bianca." Chiron said as he closed the door.

When Chiron opened the door to Nico's room in the Big House, he found Grover feeding Nico a pudding-like food. Ambrosia.

"He's conscious, but he's weak." said Grover as he filled Nico's mouth with another mouthful of pudding.

"I was in the woods and I heard something being dragged. I didn't catch who was dragging him, but I found him in bed unconscious." said Grover while he reached for a glass of icy cold nectar.

"I only wonder what's happened to him." mumbled Grover while he let Nico sip the dangerous but helpful beverage.

"I know, thank you Grover." said Chiron. Grover hastily left the room.

"Nico?" said Chiron.

"Yeah. Chiron?" croaked Nico.

"Yes Nico. It's Chiron. I have been told about what you did for Annabeth." said Chiron

Nico opened his dark eyes.

"Who told you!" said Nico. Chiron smiled a smile that said 'I know something you don't'.

"I have my resources. But why did you do it? If you would've supported Percy's spirit any longer, you would've died." said Chiron in a concerned tone.

"Well, I owe it to Percy. He saved my sister. He kept his promise to keep my sister safe, though it cost him his life. Bianca told me that his last words were that he loved Annabeth, so I thought that she could see him one last time. Or at last until I could gain enough power to pull him up again." said Nico.

"I had promised not to let anyone to loose their lives for him. He would probably agree. Hopefully. I just wish…" whispered Chiron as he left the room.

Nico decided to ask Annabeth what he had meant in the morning.

**I am SOOO sorry that it's short, but I promise to update as soon as I get three reviews! I just want to know if people are actually reading this. So PLEASE review!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi, you reviewers are really amazing! Thank you sooo much! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO!**

Later in the afternoon, when Nico knew that the rest of the children of Athena would be at archery practice, Nico crept over to the Athena cabin; as quiet as darkness.

Annabeth was lying on her small bed, staring absently at the ceiling, just like he knew she would be. Recently, she had been staying in the Big House, but she often returned to the Athena cabin out of sheer habit.

Nico felt a strong rush of sympathy towards Annabeth. He knew what it was like to lose people that he loved. He lost his mother when he was really young. He was really too young to remember his mother, but there was a gaping void in his soul whenever he thought about her. But it was even worse when he thought about losing Bianca. She would be gone. Forever. She left early that morning and oly gave him a brief goodbye, and he would never see her again; he'd never know if she was safe or alive or dead. He would be left alone at Camp Half-Blood; friendless and alienated. The other campers avoided him like the plague since he was a son of Hades. It was obvious that Hades was not welcome there.

Nico walked into the cabin, and the room seemed to darken as his shadowy form entered.

"So… What do you think Chiron was talking about? I mean, you've known him longer than I have. Plus, you're the wisest girl I know." said Nico as he flopped on a bed next to Annabeth.

Annabeth scowled and fought back tears. Nico didn't mean to use a Percy reference. Everything seemed to remind her of Percy. 'Wise Girl'. He was so obtuse sometimes; he said 'Wise Girl' like it was an insult. Honestly, it was a compliment.

Without warning and much to Nico's surprise, Annabeth sat up on the bed and slid off. She then busily paced the floor and walked over to the massive bookshelf full of scrolls, papers, and books that casually rested against the wall in the Athena cabin. She rifled through the massive bookshelf that must have been enchanted to hold even more books, and occasionally grabbed an old, leather bound book or a withered old scroll.

After about an hour of Annabeth scanning book after scroll, and Nico dozing off, Annabeth suddenly growled out of frustration. Nico shot up, startled. Her growl sounded remarkable like the growl of a monster.

"Hellhound? Where?" Nico muttered as he wildly ripped the shiny silver and black skull ring off of his finger. The ring transformed into his long, black, Stygian iron sword. Chiron had it specially made for Nico. Stygian iron was almost as rare as Celestial bronze, and most were too frightened to use it. Nico preferred it and immediately developed an affinity to the blade.

"I'll never find the answer at this rate!" shrieked Annabeth as she ran her fingers through her long, curly blond hair. She slammed the dusty book that she was reading on a worktable piled high with books. A mushroom cloud of dust erupted from the force of the collision.

"You may not have to…" said Nico who seemed lost in thought after he jolted up from Annabeth's explosion.

"You know something I don't?" said Annabeth skeptically at the eleven year old demigod.

"I almost have it…" Nico muttered. He racked his brain through the hours and hours of Chiron's teachings; through eons worth of mythology and tales that hadn't been heard by a mortal for thousands of years.

"I've got it!" Nico leapt off the bed as if electrocuted by one of Zeus's signature lightning bolts.

"What?" said Annabeth clearly annoyed but intrigued by Nico's revelation.

"The Key of Hades!" exclaimed Nico hoping that Annabeth would catch on.

"Oh, I remember it can lock and unlock death. But how did you know about it?" said Annabeth clearly stunned. Nico shrugged.

"I dunno… it just… came to me." said Nico calmly. Annabeth was still a little shocked that the answer was right there, and she had missed it.

"Yeah, supposedly, it can either raise a soul from the Underworld or pull one down to it. But it was lost centuries ago. I don't suppose you know where it is?" Annabeth asked skeptically. She really wanted to find Percy, but was rational and didn't want to be led on with false hope.

"Wait… um… I think it's… under… buried under…oh, great…" Nico muttered, sarcasm evident in his tone. He willed his sword to form back into his skull ring. The sword shrunk into the small ring and Nico slid it back onto his finger.

"Where is it, smart one!" said Annabeth clearly at the end of her patience. She stalked closer to him. She was intimidating, for a girl. She was scary enough to unnerve a child of the Underworld.

"It's buried under Persephone's largest pomegranate tree. I dunno how it got there, but we can get it." said Nico quickly, holding up his hands in surrender.

Annabeth paid him no mind as she went into full, planning mode and started pacing the room again.

"It's worth a shot! I'll do anything to get Percy back. But I'll have to research more before we can confront Chiron." said Annabeth excitedly. The gears in her brain were cranking into overdrive as she conjured a plan.

"Wait, hold up… why would _we_ need Chiron?" asked Nico warily. He couldn't imaging the old centaur following Annabeth and whoever she decided to take with her on an epic journey to steal a soul from the Underworld. Plus, why would she use the word _we_? She had to be mistaken. Why would she want an eleven year old who had only begun his training as a half-blood on a quest to retrieve her deceased boyfriend? Besides, the quest involved uprooting his stepmother's favorite tree. Persephone would already despise him for simply existing. That would certainly not help Annabeth's case.

"For our quest, of course." said Annabeth while she started putting the mountain of books back on the shelf.

"Um… _our_?" said Nico as his dark eyes widened. She really did want him on her quest.

"Yes _our _quest; you, Grover and me. We'll get a quest or sneak out of camp." said Annabeth calmly as she cleaned up the rest of her mess.

"Wait… I'm not experienced enough. I need more training! I'll probably just slow you down. Nico sadly admitted. He desperately wanted to go on a quest, but he knew that it would be unwise to bring him along.

"You'll be fine, I'll get Grover and meet me in the Big House in ten minutes!" said Annabeth as she jogged out of the door.

"Can I at least say goodbye to Bian… oh wait. She's a _Huntress_ now! She's already left with her_ new_ family!" Nico mumbled bitterly.

"Hey Annabeth can…" started Nico. He looked at the sunlight filled door. A warm, summer breeze blew in.

But then he realized that she was already gone.

XOXO

"But Chiron, please!" begged Annabeth. She was ready to get on hr hands and jnees. She normally had an unreasonable amount of pride, but she was ready to abandon it all for a chance to hold on to Percy one more time.

"I… we need to save him! I have to! Err… we have to! Please!" she pleaded. Her eyes were filled with a maniac like passion that had been absent from her eyes since Percy died.

"I'm sorry my dear, but I can't let you go. I can't lose any more of you for him. I miss him terribly too. He was one of my greatest pupils. But sometimes, you just have to let someone go." said Chiron. It never got any easier to let someone go; to just accept their death. It was just the way life was. It was a hard lesson to learn, but it must be learnt. Certainly, a daughter of the wisdom goddess must understand that.

"No!" said Annabeth fiercely. "I won't, no, I can't lose him! I won't let him go!" shouted Annabeth as she pounded her fist against the ping- pong table. The green-topped table shook and the basket holding the hollow white Ping-Pong balls and the Ping-Pong paddles toppled off the table and scattered across the Mess Hall.

Chiron winced. "I'm sorry, but I just couldn't risk any more death for one other person." He said, his voice was earnest; begging Annabeth to understand him. "Percy would understand, and he would agree with me." Chiron reasoned. "He would not want anyone to die. It's time to let him go."

"Ugh!" groaned Annabeth. Grover and Nico parted as she stormed out the front door. They scrambled after her leaving a depressed-looking Chiron in the room.

When they caught up with her, she was at the beach. She plopped down on a sand dune, watching the green waves gently lap against the shore. The sea seemed a brilliant shade of green rather than a dark blue. The sand was a silky tan shade and the breeze swept the sea grass in a lithe, wild dance. Annabeth's hair floated around her like she was underwater because of the wind. The sky was bright blue with thin, wispy clouds floating lazily across the sky.

To Annabeth, the whole world seemed to be merely shades of gray. Percy seemed to have taken all of the color with him.

When they walked up to her, they expected to see a ticked off and defiant Annabeth roaring to save her Seaweed Brain. Instead, they almost jumped back when they saw tears flowing down her cheeks.

"The waves, they remind me of his eyes. His eyes…" Annabeth murmured as more tears drifted down her cheeks. She then swiftly wiped the salty tears away and looked Grover and Nico in the eyes.

"Pack your stuff. We're leaving tonight. We're gonna get Percy back."

**R&R please!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO! Never did, never will!**

After everyone left for dinner, the group feigned lack of appetite. Nico packed his meager belongings in the Big House. Honestly, he wouldn't miss Camp-Half Blood. Many called it home, but he was not welcome there. He secretly hoped that maybe he would find a home in the Underworld. He knew one thing, he wouldn't stay at Camp Half Blood for a long, long time.

Annabeth snatched necessary items from her trunk in the Athena cabin: an extra set of clothes, some mortal money, a dozen golden drachmas, some ambrosia, a canteen of nectar, a few cans of Cherry Coke- pilfered from the nearest convenience store- a couple of Lunchables, her knife, and her invisibility cap. Lastly, she grabbed a ballpoint pen off of her nightstand. She read the engraved ancient Greek word on the side: Anaklusmos. She uncapped the pen and let it grow to its full, glistening bronze length. It was a bit heavy for her, but she swore that she would fight with it until she could return it to its rightful owner.

Her heart broke to see the familiar weapon. She gazed at her reflection in the shiny metal. Suddenly, she saw a black-haired, green eyed boy also reflected in the bronze. Annabeth hastily glanced behind her, but Percy Jackson was nowhere to be found. Annabeth quickly capped the pen. She stuffed the pen into her jeans pocket. She shouldered her backpack and shuffled out the door. She was haunted by her memories of Percy.

She met Grover and Percy by the Pegasus stables. They entered the worn wooden building and the scent of oats, fresh hay, and manure flooded their senses. The three Pegasus' who had always helped them on quests before were waiting eagerly in their stalls, as if they expected to be a part of some secret dangerous quest. Blackjack snorted and bumped against the stall door; anxious to get out and into the sky. Porkpie and Guido stomped their hooves restlessly. Grover and Nico released Porkpie and Guido and led them out of the stall.

Grover bleated like a goat; encouraging Guido in animal language. The winged horses were skittish and nervous out of Nico, but Grover managed to convince the Pegasus' to let Nico near them.

Meanwhile Annabeth stared into blackjacks inky eyes. They seemed to share a strange bond. They both lost a close friend the day Percy died.

"Come on Blackjack, let's go to New York City. I'm gonna save Percy." whispered Annabeth in Blackjack's ear. Blackjack got excited when she said the part about Percy. He almost seemed to understand her. Annabeth stared at the hay-strewn floor. Only Percy could communicate with horses. She just missed him so much. She mounted blackjack and Grover and Nico followed her lead.

The trio then rode off in the dark night sky, with the moonlight glistening on the Pegasus' breathtaking wings.

Suddenly, Blackjack wouldn't turn when Annabeth told him to.

"Come on, Blackjack! Work with me here!" she hissed as the pure black Pegasus veered off course to the beach. Blackjack soared towards the coast of Long Island Sound. Nico and Grover's shouts faded into the night as Annabeth landed on the sand.

"Why in Athena's name…" began Annabeth irritably. There wasn't time for this madness! She had to find Percy! It might already be too late! He could have already chosen to be reborn into another life and she would never see him again. That thought alone was crippling.

Then she saw a tall figure approaching. She drew Riptide. The magic bronze blade cast a shiny light on the dark beach. The other two Pegasus's landed next to Blackjack and Nico and Grover slid off their backs.

"Annabeth, is there a reason we stopped…" started Nico. Then he saw the large figure approaching them. Nico slipped his ring off his finger and it instantly transformed into his Stygian iron blade. Grover pulled out his reed pipes. As they prepared for a battle, the figure stopped approaching. It was too dark to recognize the figure.

"Whoa there, young demigods! Nico, Grover, Annabeth, there is no need for weapons!" said the mysterious stranger. Unwillingly, Grover's pipes, Nico's sword, and Riptide fell into the sand. Nico groped for his weapon, knowing that magic of this kind could never be good. The stranger walked closer, and the person standing before them was Poseidon.

"Lord Poseidon?" asked Annabeth quizzically.

The Pegasus' bowed respectfully in front of their master and creator.

"Annabeth, daughter of Athena: I have brought you here for a reason." said Poseidon. He was dressed in an all-black, tailor made suit, which was a drastic change from his normal casual beachwear. He stepped closer on the sand until he was standing right in front of her. His green eyes were sorrowful as he handed her a necklace. It was a leather chord with a gold covered, miniature conch shell. The shell was about three inches long and shone in the moonlight.

"When worn, it will give you all of the powers of a child of Poseidon. When you blow on the shell, Blackjack and two other Pegasus's will appear, no matter where you are." Poseidon said in a low voice. No matter how low the volume of his voice was, his voice rang with power. Annabeth's heart quivered with sorrow as she saw Poseidon's eyes; eyes that Percy once shared.

Annabeth stared at the priceless gift, and the god who was enemies with her mother.

All she could do was stare, with her stormy gray eyes wide.

"Um, Lord Poseidon, I know I'm new at this and all, but aren't you and Athena, like, rivals or something?" asked Nico quizzically. Grover bit his lip. He hoped that they didn't burst into flames.

"Yes, and I know that interferences on quests are forbidden, but I would really like you to succeed in this quest." said Poseidon as, to Annabeth's surprise, a tear fell down his cheek. "For personal reasons. Besides, this isn't really interfering; it's more like assistance. Am I correct?"

"Uh, yes, Lord Poseidon!" Grover stuttered. Annabeth cut him off.

"T…thank you Lord Poseidon. I… we will rescue him. If it's the last thing I do." Annabeth said confidently.

Poseidon smiled amongst his grief.

_She's brave. For a daughter of Athena. I'll give her that. _thought Poseidon as he smiled once more and said one last thing

"Alas, this power won't last forever. It will only work for a week." said Poseidon. "I hope you can succeed. You'll be one of the first heroes to raise a soul from the Underworld. Oh! And I almost forgot." said Poseidon as he handed Grover, Nico, and Annabeth a waterproof backpack filled with all sorts of useful things. At a glance, Annabeth saw a first aid kit, even more mortal cash, and blue Oreos. Annabeth hugged the bag closer to her chest.

Even a god believed that she could do it. The blue Oreos were the perfect touch. It felt like Percy was right there with them, wearing her invisibility cap, waiting for the perfect moment to take it off and say 'Boo'.

Poseidon bowed his head towards the young heroes and was engulfed by a huge wave from Long Island Sound.

"Blackjack, strike that, we're going to Los Angeles." Annabeth said with a devilish grin. Blackjack reared up, ready for anything the world had to throw at them. She slipped on the beautiful necklace. It somehow looked perfect with her cluttered Camp Half-Blood bead necklace. She felt a surge of powerful as overwhelming as the strongest ocean tide overwhelm her. The salty sea air seemed to empower her senses. She could feel the waves washing against the shore as easily as she could feel the blood rushing through her veins. She could manipulate the tides as easy as she could flex an arm muscle.

_What? Do you have any idea on how long that is! You should be enjoying the awesomeness of riding such a handsome horse._thought Blackjack. Annabeth heard him as if he had spoken aloud. She glanced at Nico, who hadn't really heard anything. Grover simply nodded. He understood animals, but didn't really converse with them unless it was totally necessary.

"Don't worry. We'll stop at plenty of doughnut shops along the way. Percy told me that you love them." said Annabeth. To Blackjack as she put a reassuring hand on his onyx mane.

_Wow, talking to a Pegasus is a whole lot better than only steering! That explains why Percy is…was so good at riding…_ Annabeth thought forlornly.

_Yeah, I really like the ones with… wait… You, the blond girl that the boss always talks about, understand what I'm saying? Wow… Now I can remind you about the doughnuts_**.** Blackjack thought enthusiastically.

Annabeth smiled and the trio, once again, took off in the night sky. This time, they were headed West with a lot of new supplies, Annabeth's new abilities, and the knowledge that Poseidon was guiding them along the way.

**Soo… did you like it! PLEASE tell me in a review! That would be really cool.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO. You are really… strange if you think I do.**

It was the dawn of the next day when Annabeth stopped pick up a few doughnuts and rest. She landed Blackjack in a small forest behind the doughnut shop. Annabeth, Nico and Grover walked in to warm up some.

Annabeth bought a dozen doughnuts and six cups of hot coffee. She let the boys eat inside while she walked outside to give Blackjack, Porkpie and Guido their doughnuts double-shot coffee. Percy wouldn't be too happy to hear that she'd given his Pegasus a sugar high, but Blackjack deserved it. He had flown faster than Annabeth believed could be possible. They had already crossed two states within the span of mere hours.

Annabeth liked being around Blackjack and the rest of the winged horses. Blackjack and the other two pegasi heartily thanked Annabeth for the doughnuts. And they almost had heart attacks when she gave them the coffee.

_Wow! This coffee is _awesome_! I wish the boss had let me have some before! And the doughnuts! Whew! What a rush!_ thought Blackjack excitedly. He was hyped up on sugar and ready to roll.

"So… Blackjack… did Percy ever say anything, uh… about me?" asked Annabeth, trying to hide her great interest. It was definitely intriguing to talk to animals. She always believed horses to be intelligent creatures. She really knew this for a fact now.

_Oh, sure! Lots of times I remember one time where…I need more coffee!_said Blackjack as he shook his mane like a crazy mustang. His eyes rolled. She would have pressured the horse more, but Annabeth worried that the Pegasus was going to have a seizure.

_Uh… this is why Percy said to never give a pegasus caffeine or too much sugar! _Annabeth thought as she walked off back to the coffee shop to get Nico and Grover.

She walked in to the small roadside doughnut shop and found Nico and Grover. They were standing next to an enormous hole where a wall used to be. Their weapons were drawn and their faces were screwed up in preparation for battle. Annabeth sprinted into the sword and unsheathed Percy's pen. At first, she didn't see the attacker. Then, she saw the enormous Drakkon appear, its head completely filling the large hole where a wall used to be.

Annabeth lifted the sword in the fighting stance that she had perfected over the many years she spent at Camp Half-Blood. The sight of the blade made Annabeth sad and mad at every monster on the planet for existing for the sole purpose of killing wonderful and amazing heroes like Percy.

"AHHHGGG!" yelled Annabeth as she charged the creature. The battle cry probably scared more mortals than the appearance of the monster. And if Annabeth's cry didn't scare the mortal customers, two demigods and a satyr attacking a really angry, fully grown Drakkon sure did.

Annabeth slashed and hacked at the front of the monster. She dodged i's arcs of acidic venom that disintegrated whatever it touched. She sliced at the creature's lip with her sword and strange, pus-colored blood erupted from the wound. Annabeth was unused to playing as the distraction. She was always the one who crept up invisibly on the monster and stabbed it in the back with her knife. Percy was the one who bravely fought it off in plain sight.

"Go! Leave!" Annabeth barked at the lingering mortals. They were more than happy to comply.

Nico examined the back of the monster; looking for a weak spot in the armor with his Stygian iron blade. Grover played an off-key musical trill that caused thick vines to erupt from the linoleum floor and to pin the beast to the earth.

It hissed indignantly.

_What is it with demons haunting doughnut places? _Annabeth thought in the back of her mind as she dodged yet another lightning-fast bite of the monstrous serpent.

"Nico!" shouted Annabeth as she tried hitting the monster in the eye with Riptide. The monster must've learned that trick already because it closed its eyes and tried to snap at her with its razor sharp fangs. It had at least four rows of serrated, white teeth that fizzed with poison. One little cut from those terrible teeth would be fatal.

"Yeah!" said Nico a little annoyed. He leaped over the creature's writhing tail. The tail was a dull gray color, like the rest of the creature's scales. However, it had black spikes lining its spine. The creature's tail bashed against an aisle rack. Green poison oozed from the tip of the pointed black barbs on the creature's tail. The rack of pure steel simply melted from the acid spray.

"Watch out for the tail." Nico said timidly.

"I know that your blade won't work on the creature's skin; it's way too tough. But try getting it in the mouth! It's unprotected there!" she said as she dodged a stream of poison. The poison streaked inches away from Annabeth's arm and melted the cash register.

"Whatever. Anything to kill this thing!" Nico said shortly as he traded places with Annabeth. Nico glared into the golden, black-slitted eyes of the great snake. He held up his black blade and summoned a dead warrior from the Roman age to his aid. The ground opened up as if yawning; tearing the cheap linoleum floor in half. Grover yelped and fled from the great opening as more undead fighters rose from the pits of the underworld. Nico closed the pit before anything else could escape from the Underworld.

The warriors valiantly attacked the beast, but its acid melted them into gray pools of sizzling goop.

Annabeth then turned invisible and ran over to the coffee counter.

Annabeth ignored the fighting behind her and found just what she wanted, the sink. More specifically, the water pipes.

_Oh great, now how does Percy do his controlling of water thing!_ thought Annabeth furiously as she tried all of the gestures she could think up. Nothing happened, and Annabeth racked her brain desperately through all the fights and training exercises where she saw Percy used his son-of-the-sea-god powers.

_Oh please Poseidon! I really need to control the water! How did Percy do it!_ Annabeth silently prayed.

_Concentrate. Think of the sea. Think of the waves… _whispered an alien yet powerful voice in Annabeth's head that was not her own. Either she was going schizophrenic, or Poseidon was trying to help her.

Annabeth closed her eyes and remembered the gentle, yet powerful waves lap against the shore. She remembered the sound of the tide, and a rush of water roared through her ears. She thrust her hands out toward the Drakkon and the water splashed all over the monster, soaking it. It hissed furiously, it's yellow eyes narrowed with loathing.

_Since it's winter, the water should be cold, therefore, reducing the Drakkon's body temperature. It's still a reptile therefore, cold blooded. The creature will slow down enough by the coldness to where Nico will stab it and it will go back to Tartarus where it belongs! _thought Annabeth as she continued dousing the monster with water. Her power was exhilarating, yet frightening at the same time. The water pressure increased, and flooded the whole store. Yet she wasn't even affected by the water at all. She was losing her control of the power, and that alone was frightening.

_Did Percy ever feel this way? Like he was about to lose control of his powers and be consumed by them? In the myths, the sons and daughters of Poseidon caused great earthquakes and floods and catastrophes! Could that be because they simply let go? _ Annabeth wondered.

The creature froze up, then slowly turned its head toward 's whole body was shaking and the snowy weather outside was already starting to take its toll on the demonic reptile. That chance was all that Nico needed.

Nico didn't utter a sound as he plunged his blade into the creature's distracted eye and absorb all of its essence. The now destroyed doughnut shop was empty when the police arrived.

Three abnormally large "pigeons" could be seen by the mortals, fading in the morning light; all three of them heading west at staggering speeds.

"Come on Blackjack! Let's keep going. We've got a long way to go and a short time to do so." said Annabeth. She patted his jet black head. The cold wind whistled through her hair. She wished that she had brought a hat.

_Thanks for the doughnuts! Oh and did I mention the coffee! That nectar stuff, you know, the drink of the gods, must be nothing compared to that stuff! Man, coffee is liquid _gold_!_Blackjack whooped energetically as he did a corkscrew in the open air, almost throwing Annabeth off.

"Blackjack, cut it out!" she said. She touched the golden shell on the small necklace that Poseidon had given her on the beach.

"Thank you Poseidon." whispered Annabeth in the wind. A light rumble of thunder rolled in the gray, winter sky. She didn't know if that meant that Poseidon was listening or not. She hoped that it was a good sign.

_I'm coming Percy. Just hold on. I love you, and don't forget it._ thought Annabeth with fierce passion as the trio continued their quest.

**Review please! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

After many long hours on the back of a Pegasus, Annabeth fell asleep to the flapping of Blackjack's raven wings.

In her dream, she saw Percy's spirit sitting under a pomegranate tree. When she got a better look, Percy was sitting in Persephone's garden down in the Underworld. She saw the glittering clumps of flawless jewels and the bright, odd flowers and shrubs growing in neat, organized arrangements. The garden was lit by torchlight, but Annabeth could still see the succulent, juicy scarlet pomegranates. Even through her dream, she could smell the irresistible tart scent. However, one bite of that delightful fruit would condemn her to the Underworld forever.

His spirit was surprisingly detailed, and he hadn't lost his mortal attire somehow. His Camp Half-Blood T-shirt was vibrant orange with the little stain near the collar from the time where blue cherry Coke had dripped from his cup after Annabeth had told him a particularly funny joke and he was laughing so hard, that his goblet tipped and sloshed the contents onto his shirt. The incident only caused them to laugh even more. Just the memories brought back by a mere stain sent a painful pang through Annabeth. His jeans were worn and had more than a few holes and stains from past wounds. Around his neck, he wore his camp bead necklace, which only had two beads on it.

His hair was as shaggy and uncombed as ever, but Annabeth adored every inch of it. The tips of his uneven bangs grazed the tips of his eyelashes. Lastly, Annabeth stared into his deep, bottle green eyes. Annabeth's heart skipped a beat as she stared into his captivating eyes, neither person making a sound.

Percy seemed to be intently staring at something in another direction, but when he saw Annabeth, he smiled.

"Hey Annabeth. Long time no see." Percy said this with a bit of dark humor, but it made Annabeth want to sob more than laugh. Percy continued after Annabeth managed a half smile at his lame joke. She missed his lame jokes. "Word has been going around through the Underworld that you are going on a quest. The dead have nothing better to do than gossiping, since they are… well, dead and all, so is it really true?" Percy asked.

Annabeth averted her gray eyes for a moment. She knew that Percy would hate the idea of her risking her life to do a task that men had failed at for eons; to retrieve a soul from the Underworld. Percy would protest until the sky fell. Annabeth almost smiled. Gods, was Percy stubborn. No, if he was against her rescuing him, there was almost no way to get him on board. What if she made it down to the Underworld and he wouldn't return with her? Then what? Would he move on to get reborn? He had always planned on being reborn three times; Annabeth knew that much. He had told her the last time they went on a quest in the Underworld when they were twelve. There was no avoiding it. Percy would find out, one way or another.

"Yes. I am going to bring you back if it's the last thing I do. And no one, _no one_, is going to stop me." Annabeth said with more determination than she believed possible. Her gray eyes flashed a steely gray. This time, there was no backing down. She would be as stubborn as he could be. Annabeth crossed her arms to prove her point.

"Annabeth," sighed Percy. "I really can't stop you, considering that I can't even get near you without vaporizing," He said this with so much bitterness and even a little regret in his voice, that it made Annabeth feel even worse. She had been so caught up in what she wanted and how she couldn't live without him, that she hadn't even thought about what Percy felt like. He probably hated dying at the ripe young age of fourteen. He left so much behind; his mother, all his friends at camp, Tyson, Blackjack, Chiron, her, even Poseidon. Annabeth fingered the small shell on the leather cord around her neck. The sea god loved his son more than she'd ever seen a god display. He's risked being punished by the other gods just to aid a mortal quest for a chance at saving his son's life. Percy had to want to be saved. If he wasn't so darn selfless, this would be a whole lot easier. She probably wouldn't even have to rescue him in the first place.

"Anyways, the ghosts aren't the only ones who ear the rumors. Hades has heard them too. I heard him talking yesterday to the security ghouls. They put me on high watch. Hades doesn't want anyone stealing from his kingdom, especially when that _something_ is me." Percy rolled his eyes. "He set up certain… traps, I guess, to keep anyone from breaking me out of here. He'll do anything to keep me from escaping the Underworld. I just…" Percy ran his hand through his hair nervously. "I just don't want you to join me so soon. Please, Annabeth. Go back to camp. Forget about me." Percy's voice cracked on the last part of that phrase.

"I chose to die, Annabeth. I couldn't let Nico be an orphan," Percy started. He sounded like he was trying to justify his actions to Annabeth. However, Annabeth's eyes became filled to the brims with tears. She mentally scolded herself. She had decided that she wasn't going to cry so much anymore.

"Oh, you decided to keep your promise to Nico, and left me holding up the sky in Atlas's place? Keeping a stupid promise was more important to you than leaving me behind! You left me! I'm in a camp full of people who I've known since I was little, but ever since you got yourself killed, I've never felt so alone!" Annabeth was on the verge of shouting, with tears streaming down her face. She honestly couldn't control her outburst. Her mother definitely wouldn't approve of her thoughtless actions, but Annabeth couldn't care less. Percy winced at her outburst, like it physically hurt him.

"Annabeth," Percy said softly. He drifted closer to her. He would have been walking had he not been floating a good foot and a half off of the ground. He reached his hand over, as if to touch her face, but shied back at the last second. He sighed and stared at the ground. "I miss you. Please just promise one thing."

"What is it?" Annabeth sniffled softly. She looked at him and wished with all her might that she would have the chance to touch him one last time.

"Don't die. Please, don't die." Percy said. He looked at her, his eyes so mournful that she swore that the garden looked desolate and not even mildly pretty. Nothing could be pretty when someone was that sad.

Annabeth felt herself slipping into consciousness. She fought to stay asleep; to stay with Percy, but it was no use. The scene began to fade. Percy noticed that she was slipping away.

"Be careful." Percy said, his voice sounding faint. The last thing that she heard from him was barely decipherable, but she heard it without a doubt. "I love you." He had whispered.

Then, Annabeth woke up to a sky-rattling thunderstorm. Nico was shouting something over to her from his pegasus, but she couldn't hear it over the pouring rain and earsplitting thunder. A web of lightning lit up the sky right in front of them. The pegusi shrieked if fear and reared back in midair.

Annabeth clutched onto Blackjack's soaked mane in order to stay on. Annabeth was about to slip off of his slick back when he steadied. Annabeth gripped onto him tighter and her heart was racing.

"Whoa there! Try not to fall off! It's started to rain, and it's about to get worse, so we'd better take cover before Zeus loses his patience with us and blasts us out of the sky!" said Blackjack. Blackjack did wide aerial sweeps so that Annabeth could quickly survey the ground for shelter.

Annabeth groggily looked for a safe place to land. By the looks of it, Grover and Nico were doing the same thing.

"There! In that cavern!" shouted Nico as he tried to land his Pegasus on the ground. Nico's longish black hair was soaked and plastered to his head. His all-black attire that he had grown accustomed to was sticking to his gangly pre-teen frame.

"Hold up there, Nico! Caves are usually really bad ideas! There could be monsters living there. That is one of the most likely places to find a monster den. Mortal animals could be there as well; mountain lions, wolves, bears…" began Annabeth as she continued looking for another spot. The ground was hard to see through the thick torrents of rain. At that altitude, the rain was particularly cold and painful. Annabeth wanted to get out of the sky as soon as possible, but she'd take the rain over battling a territorial Cyclops on the ground any day.

Just then, a large streak of lightning split the sky. Then an eardrum-breaking clap of thunder shook the darkening atmosphere.

"I hate underground places as much as any rational satyr would, but I would _really_ like to get out of this death trap that I used to call the sky!" Grover shouted with his teeth chattering, whether in fear or because he was cold, Annabeth couldn't figure out; probably both. Another bone-rattling roll of thunder echoed through the sky.

She quickly scanned the ground and small a small clearing by the bottom of a mountain and decided that it was the best shot that they had.

Annabeth just decided to go with it, despite the feeling in her gut that she usually trusted. Annabeth shouted for Grover and Nico to land in the small clearing and head towards the cave in the mountainside. The group circled once or twice and descended. The pegusi hastily landed safely on the ground and galloped to the shelter of the cave, shaking excess water out of their manes and wings.

Nico, Grover, and Annabeth scurried into the cave shortly after the pegusi. Grover rang the water out of his Rasta cap while Annabeth squeezed eater out of her hair. She wished that she had some dry clothes to change into. Then, she remembered Poseidon's necklace. She'd seen Percy instantly become dry just because he willed it to happen. Annabeth screwed her eyes shut and calmly imagined that she would be perfectly dry and that all the rainwater be driven away. She felt a tiny surge of power in her insides and glanced at her clothes. She was still cold, but she was perfectly dry. She was standing in a perfect dry circle and the water that was previously covering her was now in a large puddle around her. Even her sneakers were dry! She was amazed.

Grover stared at her; dumbstruck.

"Um, can I do that too?" Grover shivered. She didn't know if she had enough control to dry Grover off too.

"I'm not really sure… do you ever remember Percy being able to dry other people off?" Annabeth asked quietly. Grover shrugged, but still stared at her as if she'd sprouted a third eye.

Nico started a fire while Grover and Annabeth dried the Pegasus off. Nico then opened the backpack that Poseidon had given him.

"Ok, there is a sleeping bag, a lighter… aww man! I wish I would've seen that sooner! It took me an hour to do that the hard way!" grumbled Nico. Annabeth smirked as she sat by the fire and opened her bag as well.

The backpacks magically compacted things that should not have been able to fit in there, like the Huntresses' backpacks_._ Annabeth realized this as she unpacked everything from the bag. She made a list of the things that were there, so she would remember everything before she left something behind by mistake. Poseidon had seemed to remember everything. He had packed spare clothes from her trunk at camp, including her favorite sweatshirt. Annabeth smiled softly as she took the blue sweatshirt into her hands and inhaled it. It smelled like a fresh ocean breeze and a bit musky. It was Percy's sweatshirt that he had lent her at the campfire in the past summer. She never had the heart or the inclination to return it. He had said that it had looked better on her. She fondly remembered the memory. She could still smell the smoke of the campfire, the sweet smell of smores, and she could hear the other campers singing in the background.

She also found a flashlight in the bag, and made a mental note to check out the rest of the cave with it later. She didn't want to fall asleep if a Chimera lived farther back in the cave. They would be eaten before midnight.

Poseidon also had placed a canteen full of nectar and individually wrapped squares of ambrosia in the sack. Annabeth had only a bit of it left from her own supply. Some of it had been lost from the fight with the Drakkon in the doughnut store and some of it had been eaten to heal her injuries.

Annabeth was also pleased to find a few packages of camp rations, containing a full meal. They went nicely with the one or two Lunchables and sodas that had survived the Drakkon fight. Her backpack had been torn during the fight and things continued to fall out. Annabeth looked at her old ruined backpack sadly. It was the red backpack that she had gotten in Waterland in Denver on her first quest with Percy two summers ago. She remembered the tunnel of love and Percy flooding the whole place with his son of Poseidon powers. Annabeth shook her head, as if to erase the memories like an etch-a-sketch.

She found a package of mortal cash. Now they had enough to purchase train tickets all the way to Los Angeles. They couldn't ride on a plane because Zeus would blast Nico out of the sky because Nico was a son of Hades and all. She also saw about a dozen golden drachmas, neatly enclosed in a plastic bag. Now Annabeth cold Iris-message someone in an emergency. Annabeth also found various toiletries, like her toothbrush. She was happy to have that back, because she was positively anal about brushing her teeth every morning. Poseidon even bothered to put a small air mattress in each of their backpacks. IT was unnecessary, but they all greatly appreciated the extra comfy. It sure beat sleeping on a rocky floor. Pillows and a soft, warm blanket were all included. There were also various weapon-care tools, like flint for sharpening blades and oiled rags to keep weapons clean.

Lastly, Annabeth found a small square of paper. On it was a picture from her bedside table. She also knew that an identical copy of this very picture was sitting on Percy's old nightstand in the Poseidon cabin.

She laid out her mattress and sat on it looking at the picture. It looked like the one that she had attached to the note to Percy that she had made after his death. Annabeth was smiling as if Percy could never die. As if there were no cares in the world. A rebellious tear traced Annabeth's cheek as she longed to see Percy's smile and hug him again.

Another flash of lightning lit up the cave. The Blackjack, Porkpie, Grover and Guido all shifted on their hooves nervously.

"I'm going to look for some more firewood. The fire is almost dead." said Grover skittishly as he gestured toward the hot coals; the only remnants of the fire.

"You can't go outside! It's suicide!" Nico pointed out as a loud bang shook the cave. It was so loud, that it knocked a chunk of rock from the ceiling loose. That wasn't exactly reassuring.

"I hate thunder!" whinnied Blackjack. The other Pegasi whimpered in agreement.

"I'm not going to go outside, I'll just umm…" muttered Grover.

"You could go a little farther in the cave." suggested Nico as he cleaned his blade with an old rag and a stone of flint.

"What! No! I mean. Satyrs hate caves and underground places!" cried Grover. His eyes were verging on being slit-pupiled with terror. He was on the verge of hysteria, and that was never a good sign.

"We're about to go to the Underworld, so you may as well get warmed up." said Nico darkly, still too concerned about his midnight dark sword to look up. His hair was only partially dry, so it stuck up strangely in certain places.

"Besides, if there _were _any monsters or animals, they would be attracted to the flame and the tasty demigods sitting in the entrance of their cave." Nico said as Grover let out an exasperated sigh. There was no convincing use to arguing against Nico. I guess it's a little brother thing.

To come to think of it, Nico had gotten a lot more quiet and solitary since Bianca left and he got into the son of Hades thing. Annabeth felt bad for him, but the other campers still mostly avoided him. He had especially darker in attitude and in humor as well. He may have lost his sister despite the fact that Percy had saved her. Percy may have died in vain. The thought was like a cold fist clenching on Annabeth's heart.

Annabeth, still lost in memories on the mattress, finally looked up and threw Grover her bronze knife.

"Be careful." were her only words of wisdom as she was once again looking at the photograph.

"But… but what if it isn't a monster! Celestial bronze won't harm regular animals!" protested Grover.

"Run." said Annabeth shortly.

"Fast. Screaming would help too." Nico added sarcastically. Grover shuffled off into the cave muttering something about having "helpful friends."

Nico looked over at Annabeth with a hint of pity in his eyes. He wasn't surprise when a teardrop fell from Annabeth's eye and landed on the glass picture frame.

"Annabeth?" asked Nico. Annabeth didn't respond.

"Annabeth." Nico said again, just a little louder. Annabeth looked over as if she had just woken up from sleeping.

"We're going to see him alive again. I know it." said Nico as he poked at the hot coals in the fire with a stick. Annabeth glanced at the picture again.

"You're right. Thank you Nico." Annabeth said softly as she lay down on her pillow and tried to fall asleep on a happy note.

"Help! Help!" yelped a voice coming from father back into the cave.

"Help!" the voice yelled, more urgently this time. Nico grabbed his sword and Annabeth uncapped Riptide and charged to the back of the cave.

"Let's charge whatever this is and take it by surprise." whispered Nico, with that maniac glint in his eyes.

"No! I'll go in and look to see whatever this is invisibly." said Annabeth as she fixed her cap on her head.

"Then we'll make a quick plan on how to defeat it and _then_ we will charge and attack." said Annabeth she took a few steps forward. She was completely invisible and tried not to make any sounds as she approached Grover's pitiful cries.

"Oh, and don't move, no matter what happens. Stay here until I come back." she said as she sprinted around a corner. Nico sighed in exasperation and slight anger. Why did everyone insist on treating him like a child! He would never learn anything if everyone killed the monsters for him!

Annabeth raced down the tunnel. There was a bend and she slowed down. She stopped at the corner and peeked out from behind a boulder and saw something that just about made her heart stop beating.

**Yeah, I know I left off with a cliffhanger. And for those of you who think that this story sucked, thanks for reading the story anyways. R&R. **


	11. Chapter 11

_Thank you, nice people! Your reviews were and still are greatly appreciated. I will try to make this chapter as long as the last one! I hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Don't own PJO._

_**Grover was hanging from the large meaty hand of a Cyclops. And this wasn't the friendly, Tyson-like sort. This Cyclops was about 15 to 20 feet tall. He was really fat and drool was dripping from it's deformed mouth.**_

"_**Yum! Yum! A satyr! I haven't eaten one of your kind in a while. I will enjoy eating you!" rumbled the Cyclops. The Cyclops tied Grover up in rusty chains and went to find a pot to boil poor Grover in.**_

_**Annabeth was scared stiff. The Cyclops sounded and looked exactly like the Cyclops that captured Thalia, Luke and her when she was seven. However, Annabeth then remembered gaining enough courage to stab the monster in the foot when she was only seven. **_

_**Hopefully, I can be courageous enough now to defeat this brute.**_** Annabeth thought as she raced back to tell Nico the battle plan.**

"**Nico! Nico!" whisper-hissed Annabeth.**

"**What!" What is it?" asked Nico. He stood in a corner of a cave twirling his sword out of boredom.**

"**It's a Cyclops! It's about 20 feet tall and it's about to eat Grover!" said Annabeth. That got Nico's attention. He dropped his sword.**

"**Whoa, wait, what? A full grown Cyclops! Here!" stuttered Nico as he picked up his blade.**

"**Yeah, here's the plan…" said Annabeth as she explained the plan. The plan was risky, but it was fast and effective.**

"**So, do you have it?" asked Annabeth.**

"**Uh, yeah." said Nico as he prepared for another fight.**

"**Let's go!" said Nico as he and Annabeth charged into battle. Annabeth slipped her Yankees cap on and she shimmered into invisibility. Annabeth leaped on the back of the monster and tried to stab it. The Cyclops swatted her away. While the dumb beast was trying to pound Annabeth, unsuccessfully, Nico took this as his chance and rapidly absorbed the monster's essence.**

"**Well, that was fast." mumbled Grover as he let Annabeth cut his bonds.**

"**Well, the storm is let up. I think we should keep moving. No offense Blackjack, but we are totally taking a train to the Underworld. Please take us to the next train station." said Annabeth as she tapped Blackjack with her foot signaling him with her foot.**

**Blackjack muttered something about how much Pegasus travel was then train traveling, but Annabeth wanted to get to the Underworld a.s.a.p. Finally, Percy would be where he belonged, camp.**

**They boarded the train and waved goodbye to the Pegasus as they flew off into the sky. Annabeth fell into a rare, dreamless sleep. When she woke up, they passed a trainside sigh that read:**

_**Los Angeles in 2 miles**_

**Annabeth was happier than she had been in a while. Percy was going to be saved! Of course, the train just **_**had **_**to stop for no apparent reason.**

"**Here we go again." muttered Annabeth as she pulled Riptide out of her pocket.**

"**More fun." said Nico as he drew his own sword. The mortals, seeing nothing unusual, minded their own business.**

"**Yippee." said Grover flatly as enormous footsteps gained closer and closer to the trio.**

**I am sorry for the late update. I was grounded!!! Again!!! How I loathe restrictions. Anyways, R&R!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, I'm back. I had the ****most**** severe case of writer's block I've ever encountered! But I promise, this time promise to end this fic this week! So there. Thank you all for being so patient with me! Bear with me on the last chapters!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO and I never have.**

Cut, bruised, tired and hungry, Annabeth and Grover staggered along an old dirt road dragging Nico, who was out cold. After an attack by a large wolf-like creature, Nico had summoned too many dead warriors and went out cold. Annabeth had insisted that they get to a safe house before caring for their wounds.

"How…far… is … the safe house?" asked Grover as he continued to groggily carry Nico.

"Not far, in fact, it's right over this hill." Annabeth said as she helped Grover with Nico.

"Holy Pan! For a ten year old, he sure is heavy!" muttered Grover as they finally reached the safe house. The house was more like a hut constructed out of wood and waterproof leaves. The walls were made out of mismatched pieces of wood and the roof was thatched out of old brown leaves. The door was a worn piece of plywood. It was barely noticeable against the scenery and was the ideal hideout for runaway demigods.

"How did you..? Oh yeah, Luke, Thalia and you. Was it before I found you guys?" asked Grover. Annabeth merely nodded and entered the hidden shack. The little hut was stocked with the normal survival items, such as first aid stuff, toiletries, extra clothes, and a few lethal celestial bronze weapons.

Annabeth laid Nico on a cot and let him sip some nectar and munch on a little ambrosia while Grover cleaned his cuts. After everyone had taken care of themselves, they drifted off into a sleep. All except Annabeth.

Annabeth sat against a wall in the hut, twirling the intricate little shell on her necklace around her finger.

"So much power in one little shell." Annabeth mumbled as she made the water in a glass spin out of the cup in a mini cyclone just by twirling her finger.

"So this is what Percy must've felt like. Except all of this power was in his blood, not in a shell." she whispered. In a flash, the mini water cyclone was back in the glass. Annabeth sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Percy I don't know what I'm doing. I really never did. But you always trusted me, eventually." Annabeth whispered. She grasped the little shell on her necklace and drifted off into a slumber.

"Annabeth, come on! Wake up! We've got to get to the Underworld!" Nico said as he shook Annabeth awake.

"Huh?" she mumbled as she got off of the hard, dirt ground of the floor.

"Ow!" she exclaimed as she got up to stretch. She was sore from sleeping on a coarse, hard floor all night. After she stretched out some and attempted to brush her hair, She stumbled over to Grover.

"Here, eat up." she said as she tossed him a granola bar and a water bottle from a crude shelf leaning against a wall. Grover looked at the food skeptically.

"What if it's past the expiration date?" asked Nico, who was holding the granola bar as if it was a dirty sock.

Annabeth just shrugged and took a bite of the rock hard food. Grover thought not to argue with Annabeth and wolfed the granola bar down. Nico took a swig of his water, but his empty stomach convinced him to just eat the food.

"Come on! We've got a while to go. Let's get going." Annabeth said as she grabbed her pack and hiked out he door. Nico crammed the remnants of his granola bar in his mouth and scurried after Annabeth. Grover closed the door to the shack behind him. After about only fifteen minutes of walking, the group encountered a problem. A huge river blocked the path.

"Great. Any ideas!" said Nico with mock optimism. Grover sat on a rock and played his reed pipes.

_And now I guess I'm alone on this one. Oh wait, the shell! If I call Blackjack, it might take hours for him to get here. Umm… Poseidon, I need an idea? Any thoughts mom? _Annabeth thought as she stared at the massive river. Then an idea hit her. She could use her power over water to lift the river up and over like a giant arch! She knew all to well that if she just held the water back, it would explode like a soda can when shaken.

"Guys, get ready to cross!" Annabeth said. Nico and Grover looked up at her in a mix between shock and doubt.

"And how, I wonder, do you expect to do that?" Nico smirked.

"I'll raise the water like an enormous arch over our heads as we cross along the bottom!" said Annabeth. Nico gave her a weird look.

"Whatever. Just don't drop the water on me. I can't swim. Poseidon might kill me if I try anyways." mumbled Nico as he stomped toward the river bank.

_Poseidon wouldn't kill you. At least I don't think. But Poseidon doesn't seem like a person who would take his mistrust against Hades out on you. _Annabeth thought.

_Oh! Whoever sent me this idea, thanks!_ Annabeth thought swiftly as she held her hands out in front of her. She then slowly raised her hands toward the sky. The water lifted with her hands and it felt as if the water was rushing right through her. The boys watched in awe as the water rushed over their heads.

"GO! I can't hold this for long!" hissed Annabeth as the boys scampered up the bank. Grover accomplished this quickly because, well, he's half goat. Nico had a harder time. Grover was struggling to pull him up. Just as Annabeth was about to cross, something hit her cheek. Mud. Mud from the bottom of the creek. And spiders were crawling in it.

"Spiders! Spah… spa… ahhhhhhh!" screamed Annabeth. With her concentration broken, the water fell into the bottom of the creek.

"Annabeth! What is your problem! Help!" yelled Nico as the strong current began to pull him away.

"Annabeth" bleated Grover. "Snap out of it!"

Annabeth willed some water from the creek to wash the mud and spiders away. Then Annabeth heard giggling. She looked to her right to find a girl with wavy brown hair and wearing a green dress woven out of river grass. The girl was pretty, but Annabeth was too furious to pay too much attention to her appearance. Annabeth made a wave surge out of the river which spit Nico on the grass next to Grover.

"What did you do that for you… you…!" studdered Annabeth angrily as she walked over to the girl.

"I don't like you messing with _my _river! At least without my permission! And the last time I checked, the only one with sea power was a child of Poseidon. And you are _obviously _a daughter of Athena by your crazy fear of spiders." smirked the girl quite coolly.

The girl was obviously a naiad. Annabeth was too angry to think or speak

"Oh, except that there was _one _son of Poseidon. But he died. Pity. Not really. Poseidon is the god of the _sea. _He doesn't seem to care for all of the little rivers out there." said the naiad.

Annabeth was now beyond mad. She was blazing furious. She forced the niad in a huge cyclone of water and forced weed grass from the bottom of the river around the naiad's thin form. The weed crept up her until it was around her neck the naiad struggled and gasped, but it was no use. With a clenched fist, Annabeth let the weed fully encase the naiad like a river weed mummy. Then the weeds unraveled and revealed nothing. The naiad had simply vanished. A female voice (The naiad) gurgled from the bottom of the river.

"Fool." It said.

Annabeth came back to her senses like waking up from a sleep. She quickly rode on a crest of a wave across the river. However, before Grover could ask if she was alright, she trudged on.

**I tried to make it a little longer, but the story will end this week. I promise. R&R please!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey, it's me again. Thanks for all of the reviews! You guys rock! Anyways here is the new chapter. Speaking of which, 13 is my favorite number. Sorry, I just had to throw that out in honor of the 13****th**** chapter and all.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. I wish I knew him though!**

Annabeth speed-walked for about five minutes after the river incident with a hard expression on her face. She finally collapsed on a rock.

"Annabeth, is there something…" began Grover. He looked at Annabeth worriedly. It was really unlike her to lash out super angrily.

"I could have killed her…" mumbled Annabeth. "My anger. I couldn't… control it." whispered Annabeth as she buried her face in her hands. Grover put his hand on her shoulder while Nico just shuffled his feet awkwardly a few feet away from the scene.

"Annabeth," said Grover timidly. " Before you met Percy, A girl was picking on me. That got him really mad, so his power and anger got the better of him and he controlled the water dragging the mortal girl into a nearby fountain. The water grabbed her! Not him! Oh… What I mean is that maybe having the power of the ocean in you," Said Grover

"Or in your case, hanging around your neck" Nico piped up from his desolate corner.

Grover waited for Nico to finish interrupting before he continued. "When you possess the power of the ocean, maybe a side effect is anger problems." Grover suggested. Annabeth finally looked up.

"Yeah, that totally makes sense!" Annabeth declared as she stood up and brushed off her jeans.

"I really need to be careful, because a foolish move by a daughter of Athena… I'll just watch it." Annabeth said as the trio's long hike began once again.

Not too long after that, they arrived on the outskirts of Los Angeles, California. Also known as, the entrance to the Underworld. Annabeth and Grover knew the way to the entrance of the Underworld all too well. Since Nico was a son of Hades, he decided to remember the way there. Memories came back to Annabeth like a flood and she began twirling the necklace containing the sea power around her finger.

_I will find you Percy. Just hang on. I'm almost there._ thought Annabeth. Just then, in the middle of Los Angeles, a cool sea breeze swirled through Annabeth's long, wavy blond hair. Then, a voice whispered in her ear,

"Be careful."

Annabeth's gray eyes widened. She looked around as if to see someone or _something_ behind her. Just asphalt and street signs.

"Percy?" she whispered.

"Did you say something, Annabeth?" Grover asked from in front of her. She had drifted to the back of the group.

"Huh?" Annabeth asked still puzzled by the voice.

"Man, you are becoming more and more like Percy every day!" said Nico. "No wonder you called him a seaweed brain." Nico mumbled.

Annabeth made sure that she wouldn't strangle Nico for that. Only _she _was allowed to call Percy unintelligent. But she didn't want to loose her cool again so she put her thoughts back to the strange voice. Just like that, they had arrived at DOA recording studios, the entrance the Underworld.

They walked through the deeply tinted black and bronze doors and the signs that were supposed to keep the living away. It definitely was not going to keep Annabeth away from getting Percy.

They passed the strange, pencil cactuses in the pots and the chairs filled with halfway visible people. The ghosts shifted nervously n their chairs, waiting to be let in to the Underworld.

Then, they saw the monster himself, Charon. He was dressed in the usual silk Italian suit with a black flower attached to the lapel.

"Well, godlings, back for more? Oh, and I saw your friend earlier. That time he really was dead!" Charon scoffed as he cackled. Annabeth tried not to kill that evil creature right there and then.

"We just want passage!" said Grover as he quickly set down some drachmas and headed towards the elevator.

"Wait a minute lad," Charon said.

"Uh, yes?" Grover asked s he turned around.

"Good luck!" Charon laughed as he tucked the drachmas in his expensive pocket.

They were rushed into the elevator by a bunch of ghosts and Charon closed the elevator doors behind him. Now, the elevator was a barge floating across the river Styx.

The boat rocked and swayed with the movement of the river and Nico looked as if he was going to be sick. The barge came to an abrupt halt and the ghosts started piling off the boat. Grover, Nico, and Annabeth brushed through the crowd.

As they neared Siberus, the enormous, almost invisible, three- headed dog was barking excitedly at Annabeth. She gave her monstrous friend a half smile and threw him a red rubber ball. Siberus yipped in joy as he took off after the rubber chew toy.

As they walked to the top of a hill covered in black grass, Annabeth could see Elysium. And it was gorgeous. Annabeth started running top speed now while Grover and Nico puffed behind.

"We… need…to stick… together!" gasped Nico as Annabeth pulled farther ahead.

"Annabeth wait! Slow down!" shouted Grover. But Annabeth was too ecstatic about seeing Percy and telling him that she loved him in person. In no time, they were at the gates of Elysium. They were pure gold and wonderful scents drifted through it.

"Food!" groaned Grover as he smelled the delectable scent of heavenly barbecue.

"Yeah, while we are here, can we… I don't know, take something to go! I, er, we're starving." said Nico as the sounds of music drifted to their ears when the door automatically opened.

Annabeth was too distracted to look at the scenery. She needed to find Percy. There! A fig tree by the lake! She was sure he would be there.

_He was there in the dream anyway._ thought Annabeth as she sprinted to the spot. She looked all around the tree, her smile fading like a spray tan.

"Percy?" she asked to the open air. He wasn't there. What happened next was unexplainable by Annabeth afterwards. She started to sob. Maybe that it was she was extremely tired, or sick of traveling, or starving, or she just really wanted to see Percy.

(My vote is on the last one.) She slid to the ground, put her face in her hands and let the tears flow.

"Hey Annabeth." she was about to tell Grover to buzz off and to go get the food on his own when she recognized that voice.

"Percy? Are you really there." Annabeth said as she looked up. Percy was there. His black hair swayed in his misty green eyes. She jumped up in spite of herself.

"PERCY!" shouted Annabeth as she tried to hug him. But, as the Fates have it, she just hugged air. Percy's form shimmered out. He reappeared not a fooot farther away. He looked slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry. I hate it when that happens." he replied sheepishly. Annabeth smiled in a melancholy way.

"It's ok. It won't happen again." said Annabeth confidentially. Percy looked at her skeptically. Annabeth reached for her shell necklace.

"Come on. Let's get Grover and Nico. I'm busting you out of here." said Annabeth.

"And how do you think we are going to do that?" Percy asked bluntly.

"A daughter of Athena always has a plan." Annabeth stated.

**So, how was it? I'd seriously love to know. PLEASE tell me in a review! Yes, I know Charon has an accent! I just hate typing accents! I'm terrible at them! And sorry for using all caps on some words in this chapter. It is a pretty big chapter and I couldn't help myself! P.S. sorry for the deplorable grammar/spelling/ OCC characters. SO NOW REVIEW! (Please?)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! I am extremely sorry for the never ending wait for me to update this story! The good news is, I am finally wrapping up this story to a close in THIS chapter! You read me right, this is THE END OF THIS STORY! I'll try to make it as epic as possible. Thank you for reviewing and I encourage you to do so in this chapter as well!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy, or Annabeth, or Nico, or any of the ah-mazing characters in the demigod world. (sigh)**

"Are you sure this will work?" asked Percy as his transparent form shimmered.

"It'd better! We're nearing Hades' palace!" said Annabeth. Percy and Annabeth had managed to drag Grover away from the endless buffet before he did anything stupid. Like eating it. Nico had also joined them at this point.

Annabeth bounded up the stairs with Percy and the rest of the gang not far behind.

"Now Nico, where exactly was the key hidden?" whispered Annabeth as the group ducked behind some pillars as a bunch of skeletal soldiers armed with a variety of weapon strolled past.

"Under the largest pomegranate tree in Persephone's garden. Her garden is in the courtyard! Hurry!" whispered Nico.

"This is the _last _place I want to get caught!" mumbled Grover as the group scurried off in the direction of the courtyard. Just then, a skeletal Greek warrior walked out from behind a corner. When it saw them it clattered it's jaw, letting other skeletons know of the intruders. Annabeth was about to run up and attack it to buy some time, but Nico just pointed to it and the skeleton's bones clattered into a heap. The bones made no effort to reassemble themselves.

"Let's hurry. I can't do that many more times." said Nico as he took a few deep breaths. That trick with the skeleton seemed to really wear him out. Annabeth was about to ask what his problem was and why so much of his energy was gone from that little trick when she remembered that he was only ten and had barely been trained. Annabeth decided not to risk Nico's energy any more so she went first in a hall invisibly to make sure the coast was clear.

Then they arrived in the garden. The garden was full of precious stones of enormous size all put into piles. There were also as many trees, vines, bushes, and flowers as any of the them could imagine. But in the middle of the yard was the largest pomegranate tree any of them had ever seen.

"That's it!" exclaimed Annabeth as the group tiptoed to the tree's base.

"Ok, smart one. This tree is absolutely enormous! Where is it buried?" asked Annabeth warily.

"That… I don't know." said Nico as he slid to the ground.

"So… now what?" said Percy.

"I think I can find a way out of this mess." said Grover as he pulled out a pair of panpipes. He played a soft melody and a girl sleepily emerged from the tree.

"Yes?" said the dryad sleepily.

"Oh hello, um we… um… we're looking for… um…" stuttered Grover.

"We're looking for a key beneath your roots." Annabeth finished.

"Smooth." whispered Percy to Grover. Grover blushed.

"Stop! I, um…" protested Grover. Nico snickered.

"Oh, that old thing! Uh! I've been trying to get it out for centuries! That stupid metal it's made out of totally hurts my roots!" said the dryad. "But I can't manage on my own and no one around _here_ wants to help."

"If we help you, could we have the key once it's removed?" asked Nico.

"Sure. I don't care what happens to it. As long as it's gone…" said the dryad.

"Grover could you…" started Annabeth.

"I'm already on it!" snapped Grover as he picked up his pipes. I guess he was still sour about the joke Percy had made about him previously. Grover played a few vibrant stanzas and the tree root erupted from the ground. On it was a shiny black key.

"It's made of Styngian iron!" gasped Nico.

"No wonder it hurt." said Grover. A relieved look came over the dryad's face.

"At last, peace and comfort. I am grateful to you, young demigods. Dead and alive. You too satyr." said the dryad as she kissed Grover on the cheek. Grover made some strangled noises, but then fell over in a love struck heap.

"Goodbye and good luck! May the gods be with you!" the dryad said as she dissipated into a green mist.

Annabeth used a Kleenex from her bag to pick up the old key.

"So what now?" asked Nico as he examined the key.

"We, uh, Percy? Are you supposed to be doing that?" asked Annabeth. Percy had started flickering into a golden light, like the flame of a candle.

"I don't know! I've never done it before!" said Percy as he started flickering faster. His form was turning more gold was becoming even brighter. Then Annabeth got an idea. She took the key from Nico and put it near Percy. His form came completely gold. Then a keyhole appeared where Percy's heart should be.

Annabeth put the key in the keyhole and turned it. She quickly took it out as lights swirled and shimmered around Percy. Percy's form rose off the ground, then the lights swirled around him faster and faster and he glowed brighter until in one huge flash, he was gone.

"Percy!" Annabeth shrieked. Then a small silver flash lit up the space above their heads. Percy, in the flesh, slowly descended to the ground. When his feet touched the ground he attempted at a step, but fell. Annabeth caught him and helped him up. He took a long, shaky breath.

_Oh my gosh! It worked! I can touch him! _thought Annabeth excitedly.

"Well, this is cool!" said Percy. Annabeth just said nothing and kissed him on the lips.

"I've been waiting to do that. I missed you Seaweed Brain." said Annabeth. Percy pulled her in a tight embrace.

"I missed you too." said Percy.

"Uh, guys, not to interrupt this love fest, but I believe we have some _company_." said Nico. Annabeth pulled away from Percy to see a very angry looking Persephone.

"What were you thinking!" said Persephone sharply.

"We, umm.." stuttered Grover.

"We visited a friend, do you have a problem with that." said Nico in a cocky voice.

"Watch it, Nico." whisper-hissed Annabeth.

"We merely helped that poor dryad. What is wrong with that." Annabeth said with feigned innocence.

"The _problem _with that is that you came uninvited!" said Persephone. Then a smile crossed her face.

"But I'll gladly show you how I deal with trespassers."

"Ok, Lady Persephone. I Just must say one last thing before I die." said Annabeth with her head hung low in defeat.

"Whoa, wait! What? I'm alive, then I'm gonna die again! This is sooo not fair!" Percy said. Nico smirked at Percy's humor.

Persephone looked high and mighty as she said,

"Sure, say your last prayers." Annabeth grasped the shell on her necklace and begged Poseidon for enough power for what she was about to do. She concentrates on the rolling waves of the beach right above Hades' palace. She felt a tugging in her gut. Then, cracks started appearing in the ceiling. Water then poured down on a very surprised Persephone.

Annabeth blew in the shell that hung around her neck. The shell let out a loud, mournful bellowing noise, like a whale's song, then it shattered into dust.

At first, nothing happened.

"Percy, you concentrate on keeping the water flowing!" yelled Annabeth.

"Ok." Percy grunted as he did his son of Poseidon thing.

Then a strange light appeared high near the stalactites way above the courtyard. the light grew bigger and brighter until four mysterious forms swooped out of it.

"Boss!" said a voice that Annabeth was happy to hear.

"Blackjack!" said Percy as the Pegasus swooped down.

"Whoa, boss, holy horse feed! Why am I in the Underworld?" whinnied Blackjack as he and his friends landed in the courtyard.

"No time to explain! Let's get out of here!" shouted Annabeth as she, Percy, Grover and Nico each got on a Pegasus. The Pegasi swirled and fled into the bright light, leaving Persephone shrieking in the courtyard.

There was a bright flash, then they were all back in Camp Half-Blood. The Pegasi swooped and landed in front of the cabins. Chiron saw them and galloped over. The group dismounted.

"By the gods! You are alive!" said Chiron with an expression of pure shock and excitement on his face.

"Percy!" Chiron trotted over to Percy to see if he was really there. For the first time ever, Chiron looked speechless.

"I… uh… I… we'll talk of this later. Tonight, we celebrate the return of the son of Poseidon and a successful quest!" said Chiron triumphantly as he trotted off to tell the other campers of the celebration.

Grover ran to the pavilion to see if he could catch a late lunch. Nico was exhausted and went to go sleep. That left Percy and Annabeth alone.

"Sooo… thanks for saving me." said Percy. Annabeth could tell that this was awkward for him.

"Thanks for saving me, or at least trying to." smirked Annabeth.

"Hey…" said Percy.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Here." said Annabeth as she handed Percy Riptide.

"It's a great sword." she said.

"Thanks! Wait, you used a sword? I thought you only used daggers?" said Percy, obviously puzzled.

"Well…" said Annabeth. " It reminded me of you."

Percy looked in Annabeth's stormy gray eyes.

"I missed you too." he said as the two leaned closer.

"Oh kiss already!" yelled a voice from the Big House's porch. Nico. Percy blushed.

"You are SUCH a Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth said as she kissed him on the lips. It was the best thing either of them had ever felt. Annabeth felt as if they were in a perfect world where nothing was dangerous, where there are no worries. Percy just felt the happiest that he had ever been. However, they had to stop for air.

The Campers who were previously in their cabins cheered. Especially the Aphrodite kids.

"I missed you" The two said at the same time.

"So, about the key." Annabeth said as if nothing had happened.

"The key is dangerous if Luke or any of his goons get a hold of it." Percy stated. Annabeth nodded.

"Do you think we should give it to Chiron or…" started Annabeth.

"No. Someone will eventually steal it and use it. It's too risky." said Percy.

"Wait. I have an idea." said Percy as he sprinted into the Big House. He came out holding two things. One was a brown pouch with a small envelope attached to it. In the other hand was a few golden drachmas.

Without another word, Percy took the Key of Hades and dropped it in the pouch. He then scribbled something on the envelope and put the drachmas in the envelope. The package rose out of Percy's hands and disappeared with a pleasant cash register noise.

"Percy! What did you do!" said Annabeth. Percy smiled and took a step back.

"Last on to the beach is harpy chow!" yelled Percy as he sped off in the direction of the beach. He whooped in spite of himself. He was glad to feel and smell and taste and touch again.

There was another cash register noise as a small piece of paper fell out of the sky. Annabeth grabbed it and read it.

"Percy! Wait Up!" she screamed as she raced after him. The note fluttered to the ground. It said,

' Your package has been delivered to the junkyard of the gods.'

THE END!

**So how was it? I Just thought of this wonderful ending and just had to use it! I for one liked it. TELL ME HOW IT WAS IN A REVIEW! P.S. sorry about the stupid spelling/ grammatical errors. I am also sorry if you think that the characters were too OCC. I don't really care at this point so don't bother me with annoying reviews like that! I ain't changing it now so get over it!**


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